Freyyr

I'm sorry if there are mistakes in the text. I'm just learning English.

Hi guys! Congratulations on the beginning of autumn!
My name is Alexander, I'm seventeen years old, I live in the city of Serpukhov in the Moscow Region, which in Russia.
I must confess that I have always dreamed of living and working in the United States. I will not name the reasons, but they are.
Can I get it? I'm not a pilot yet, but i will be. I am planning to study in an American "California Flight Academy." However, I'm not from a very rich family, so I have to take credit for the training. With this no trouble. But how can I pay my loan? Will I be able to start work in the USA? I understand that in your country it is not easy, but I am willing to make an effort. But is it possible? If yes, tell us how.
I get the license, do not doubt it, but I will be able to find a job? In general, please explain. I will speak English, that's for sure. Coming soon
Thank you.

galaxy flyer

Do you have the right to work in America? Which effectively means an American wife or parents OR an employer willing to sponsor you for a work visa. Odds of the latter are near zero.

GF

rickair7777

You will need an American 4-year university degree, or foreign equivalent to progress in your aviation career in the US.

If you're sure you wish to commit to life in the US, best bet might be to come here for college and try to get a green card (right to work) while in college. If successful, then attend flight training in the US.

Also...it has been possible in the past for pilots to get employer-sponsored work visas due to entry-level pilot shortages. But no airline will do that, so you would be working at the entry level (flight school, etc) for low pay and possibly no benefits, and the employer "owns" the visa so you can't quit. Ultimately you would still need to get permanent right to work.

Flightcap

Life in the US is great from a personal standpoint. It is not good compared to Russia from an aviation career standpoint. I am currently working with a Ukrainian pilot who immigrated to the US. He is just hoping to earn enough money to make a living. Meanwhile, most of his friends who were Ukrainian Air Force cadets with him are now flying jets making very good money. One, in fact, is a 747-400 captain in a Russian airline. They are about 35 years old.

Personally I would recommend that you investigate what options exist where you are to build a flying career, and experience pay off training cost, and earn enough money to comfortably move to the US. Moving and getting established here is expensive (though probably not any more expensive than living in certain parts of Russia). You will want a strong resume of experience and a good mastery of spoken and written English to succeed here as a pilot.

Freyyr

I understand that I need the right to work and higher education in the United States. California Flight Academy does not provide higher education, as I understand it? It gives only the pilot's license. Where can I get a higher education? In the United States education is paid, as I know, plus a pilot's license. It will cost a lot. I have to get into more debt, but how do I repay if I without a job? So, I can not live and work in the USA?
Simply, I must admit, I am very dissatisfied with life in Russia (I will not say the reason.). I've always wanted to move to permanently prosperous country, and, of course, I could not help noticing the United States. Perhaps I'm dreaming too much, and I have to live my life in Russia.
I just wanted to start a new life in a new place.
However, if i can do anything, you can tell me? I'd hoped to hear a detailed response. Thank you so much.

Freyyr

Guys? Can you help me? Or you don't understand me? I know i speak English very bad, but I'll learn.

nukem

You might try entering the U.S. as a foreign student. The school and the FAA will require an english proficiency. For the school you will need to pass an english language exam such as the TOEFL.

TOEFL structure and written expression test 1 - free practice exercises from Exam English

I would suggest starting with preparing for an English language exam. A good way to improve your english is with movies. Watch English language movies you are familiar with and try to follow/understand and emulate the dialogue. It will help with your accent as well.

kfahmi

Your English is a lot better than my Russian

You are correct in saying that you should be able to take out a loan to complete your flight training at a flight school in the US. You'll need to apply to a recognized educational institution (such as a Part 141 flight school) in order to receive sponsorship for your student visa. You will not be able to legally remain in the country long enough on a tourist visa, so you will need a student visa.

However, gaining the right to work in the USA (via a 'green card' at first) is not easy. It is much more difficult than obtaining a student visa. I'm assuming that neither of your parents are US citizens, and that you're not planning on marrying an American citizen (both of which would be easy paths to citizenship.)

Therefore, your only real option is to find an aviation employer who will sponsor you for a working visa. In the high-tech sector, companies like Google and Facebook sponsor thousands of non-US employees every year. But aviation isn't the high-tech sector. The reality is that most American aviation companies don't have the time or money to invest in the legal fees and paperwork required to sponsor a foreigner for a US-based flight instructing job.

If I were you, I would call one of the large flight training academies, such as ATP. Ask them about their hiring process for foreign students to become instructors. (After you get your certificates and ratings, you'll need to build a lot of flight time -- at least 1,500 hours total -- in order to get hired as an airline. You will graduate from your training program with approximately 250 hours, so you'll need to build another 1,250 hours somehow. Nearly all civilian pilots do this by becoming flight instructors.)

I helped create and run a small Part 141 school in California for a number of years. We had plenty of foreign students, but 100% of them returned to their home country after their training. Why? Because the process of getting a US work visa as a pilot is very difficult.

So, if I were you, I'd contact ATP, Embry-Riddle, and perhaps a few others (University of North Dakota, for example.) Ask them if they have any non-US citizens who have completed their training and are now flight instructors. I'd actually be interested to hear the answer.

Another possibility would be for you to join the US military. I believe that after a certain period of service you are eligible for citizenship. I have a Brazilian friend who did just that. I'm not aware if this is still possible, nor am I aware if you have to be living in the US before you join the military. But, for example, if you really wanted to live and work in the US, you could possibly:

1) Move to the US on a student visa
2) Receive your four-year college degree (with flight training) from a US aviation college
3) Join the military and serve a number of years
4) Obtain citizenship, and use your flight experience and citizenship to obtain any kind of aviation job you want in the US.

I'm not an immigration or employment lawyer, so please understand that this advice is just my personal opinion. You should definitely consult with some aviation academies and also research US immigration laws.

Good luck!

Freyyr

Thanks! I will try. But first i should to finish school.

Freyyr

Can I ask another question? What higher education should I get? I just do not understand. In Russia Higher five-year (aviation, of course) education already includes obtaining pilot's license. What about the United States? I understood that I need to get any 4-year education, and then separately a pilot's license? Right?